Dreams
by teenagefoolery
Summary: After the FAYZ, the Perdido kids are left to survive after all their wars in a totally new and strange battle front: the real world.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After the FAYZ had fallen and all of the financial and legal mumbo-jumbo had settled down, Astrid found herself sitting down in front of her macbook, struggling to turn their events into words. She had never had trouble with speaking or putting words into coherent sentences. But when it came to their struggles, their wars, she was stumped. With a sigh, she closed to laptop and laid her head in her hands.

In the six months having been out of the dome, she had gained some weight. She was maturing- she could see it as she put on the said weight. She had a steady period- yay, she thought sardonically. Her hair had begun to grow out and she had gotten it professionally styled so as to not look like a deranged child. She looked older too. She could never look in the mirror without seeing the grotesque whip scars across her abdomen and all the miscellaneous beatings her body had taken. She could never face her reflection for more than a few minutes at a time because she saw broken blue eyes staring back at her, permanent worry lines etched into her face. She was wrinkled and she wasn't even 16 yet. She had even grown a few inches. Not many, but a few.

But she wasn't the only one who had changed. She looked over at Diana, who lay stretched out on an Ikea leather couch, flipping through channels as she normally did in the afternoon when Sam was away with Quinn. "God," she mumbled. "I swear, if I have to complain about nothing being on one more time..." she trailed off, pausing on a cooking show. Diana hadn't gained as much weight as Astrid had. For the first few months, Diana had refused to eat much and refused to sleep. Not that any of them could sleep much anyway. But Diana's hair was nourished and had returned to its rich black and her skin had that olive tone to it. Her lips were no longer chapped and her eyes cheeks had begun to fill out again. Her curves were slowly returning. She still had dark, heavy shadows beneath her eyes, but no one blamed her. She was still getting over Caine. It would be a long time till the old Diana came back, if ever.

Astrid left her on the couch and walked to the kitchen. She opened the pantry. The three of them- her, Sam, and Diana- had become hoarders of sorts. Their cabinets were filled to the tops, no crevice big enough to fit even a rolled up sock. Their fridge always had fresh food, extra jugs of water. They even had emergency kits and storages full of cases of imperishable goods, crates of drinks, gallons of gas and multiple generators. Mountains of toilet paper and oceans of shampoo. They would never be unprepared again. She pulled out some peanut butter crackers, opened the package, and savored the salty-sweet taste.

Since the FAYZ, she had learned to savor her foods. she had learned the importance of it all. She had a heated discussion with Albert a few times about how greedy people were, how over-weight and wasteful they were. Countless times she had walked into a McDonald's to see piles of uneaten food buried in the trash bins. Disgusting. People could be so disgusting and cruel.

No, Astrid and company never wasted their food. If they didn't finish it, they wrapped it up, and put it back in the pantry, in the fridge. They never wasted their food. It would get eaten before it went bad.

Chewing her cracker, she walked around their house. It was a nice house. Far too big for three teenagers, but no one else had been allowed to move in. Edilio was still waiting to become a legal citizen. But once he did, Sam had offered him- and Roger- a house to live in. She peeked into Diana's room; the light purple painted walls, the queen sized mattress with clean, new sheets, a grand vanity with a full length mirror, a walk in closet full of nice, clean, well fitted clothes. A photo of Caine lay on her bedside table with his letter beside it. Astrid sometimes heard Diana crying into the night over the letter.

She peeked into the bathroom- well stocked, clean-, and the guest rooms- neat, bare, orderly, books lined on some of the walls-, and the fitness room- they all exercised every day, determined to be fit and healthy. And finally, eating her last cracker, Astrid found her bedroom. The bedroom she shared with Sam. She walked in, lay on the comfortable bed with the lingering scent of Sam, and took a nap, simply because she could.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Dude," Quinn began, wading into the water with his board floating atop the ocean. "I missed this so much, I don't think you even understand."

Sam sighed, his own longboard waxed and ready to go as he followed beside Quinn. The water bit at his waist- it was mid-autumn now and things were beginning to cool down. Not too much, it never got too cold in Cali, but chill. For Californian standards. "You say that every time we go out."

The Fisherman grinned at his surfing buddy. "And I'll probably say it until the day I die." Sam looked over at his friend, letting him get in front of him slightly. Quinn was still fit, even more so now, Sam noted. His back muscles were still strong, his shoulders still tan, as they had been when he rowed the boats everyday for nearly a year. He had scars too. They all had scars. Quinn didn't have many in comparison to Sam, but he definitely had some.

His hair looked blonde in the sunlight and he dove beneath the water, coming up and spraying water like some sort of whale. He shouted. "Woo! Last wave, okay?"

"Yeah, one more." Sam cracked a smile and followed suit, diving into the crystal water. He emerged and the waves crashed around him, splashing against his tan chest. "God," he sighed, looking up at the clouds, wind blowing through his hair. Wind! Waves! "I still can't believe it."

Quinn flashed his grin again. "You, my friend," he pointed at Sam, mounting his board as a wave began to build up. "say that every time we go out."

Together they paddled on their stomachs, waiting till the wave was nearly upon them and pulling them in, and they stood. It was such an in sync motion that they seemed to be tethered together. The velcro rubbed against their ankles the same way, they stood the same balanced pose. They were the old Sam Temple and Quinn Gaither. The surf brought them together in ways that no one would ever understand. They could read each other's postures when they surfed and they communicated in their grunts of effort, their grins flashed towards one another. Out here, they were the same person. Or just two really close dudes. Whatever.

They grinned and laughed and hollered as they rode the wave to the shore. Sand caked their hair and the salt sung on their tan skin. The sun shone on their shoulders and gleamed on the water droplets that clung to them. Quinn shook out his hair, grabbed his board, and ran to their towels. He checked his cell phone, and smiled.

Sam arched an eyebrow questioningly at him. "Brah, no secrets."

A nervous look crossed the Fisherman's face. He blushed. Or maybe he was just sun kissed. "Lana..." He mumbled, waving the phone like it was something he could just toss aside in a 'what-can-you-do?' kind of way.

"Oh," Sam began, grabbing his things. He checked his own phone. Astrid had left him a text saying she loved him. He smiled. "Are you guys still talking?"

Sam and Lana had talked, but only a bit. They talked through email, and even then it was just to check up on how things were holding. Last he heard, she was still just eating and sleeping and playing with Patrick. Same old.

Quinn shrugged. "We're friends, yeah." He sighed. "I keep trying to invite her to come visit us here but she said her parents are being tyrants. It's weird."

"What is?" Sam asked. He grabbed his wallet. He was sixteen now and had gotten his license. He really was School Bus Sam now. Legal.

"Having parents again. Six months back and I still expect to roll outta bed, go get my nets and tackle, and then go back to work and make my own decisions. But no. It's hard trying to adjust. Even after all this time, ya know?"

"Oh." Sam nodded. "Right. Yeah, definitely weird."

But the truth was, Sam didn't understand it. Well, he understood some of it. He understood the stagnant life style; he understood the no longer having purpose. But he was emancipated. He was legal. He didn't understand having to wait for choices to be made for you, not anymore.

Sam thought about his mom a lot, and his father. He wondered if they would have truly wanted him to be emancipated. He wondered if his dad hadn't died, the gaiaphage hadn't landed in Perdido Beach, would he and Caine have been the twins they were born to be? Would Caine be the David he was birthed to be? He thought about that a lot. Even after all this time.

"Hey!" Quinn broke him out of his revive. "We still up for Chinese on Tuesday with Dekka and Edilio?"

"Yeah, of course. 'Course we are." And with that, Sam watched as Quinn ran up to the parking lot where his mother waited patiently to take him back home.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Chapter Text

The restaurant was busting and it took Edilio a good 45 minutes of waiting to get a booth in the back. But, in time, he had a section alone with Roger, and he relaxed against the soft leather seats, his knee bumping against his boyfriend's beneath the table. Roger smiled blissfully at the menu.

Edilio sat and watched him for a long while, as he often did, just because he could. He looked at Roger's soft blonde curls at the nape of his neck, the freckles dusting across his tan face. His hazel eyes slightly foggy and far away from Edilio.

He had waited, so long, for Roger to get better. He visited the psychiatric office multiple times a day, every day, for four and a half months. They had only just recently released Roger, and after that, Edilio had his citizenship scare. And Roger had gotten better, but he still drifted away sometimes. He still couldn't stop having nightmares. He couldn't let go of Justin completely. He was still stuck in the FAYZ.

But Edilio had come to the conclusion that every Perdido survivor would forever be under that dome. The only ones who would ever outgrow the memories, or just simply not remember them, were the littles. He knew he still felt trapped. He reached for his pistol and came up short, finding a simple switch blade in his pocket instead. Oh right, he thought glumly, I'm no mayor or sergeant here. He was a simple illegal alien who had to keep his head down low. Letting go of the knife, he reached over the table and grasped Roger's hand in his.

Roger smiled at him, his hazel eyes sparking to attention. "I think I'm gonna get the chicken parmesan." He read the menu further. "With a side of noodles and potatoes and for dessert I'll probably get one of those things; what was it we got last time?"

Edilio smiled. He only ever truly smiled around Roger. "Fried ice-cream."

"Ahh," Roger sighed, grinning, and leaning back in his seat. "fried ice-cream." He let his soft thumb brush over Edilio's knuckles; brought his hand up to his lips, and kissed the back of his hand. His cheeks flushed and Edilio felt his own grow warm.

The waiter came then, clearing his throat, and asked for their order. He was a chubby man with a balding head. Edilio couldn't help but feel a bit stingy toward the fat, old, and unaware. He had a pretentious tone like he couldn't believe two boys, two GAY boys, could be sitting in this fancy Italian restaurant, let alone could tip him. Edilio knew a homophobe when he saw one. They looked at him with disgust, like they were praying curses at him like he had some sort of demon inside him.

"Well," Edilio began. His tone was quiet and calm. The tone he kept in the FAYZ. His hand rested against his pocket where he could feel the knife through the fabric. "my beloved boyfriend here will be having the chicken parmesan with some noodles and some potatoes. Yes, he'll be having BOTH sides. I'll be having the steak marsala- well done, thanks- with a side of potatoes, some cole slaw, and veggies. Yes, I'll be having THREE sides. And yes, you'll be getting a big fat check. So it'd be appreciated if you would get that smug, condescending look off your face."

The waiter stood there, gaping like a fish, blushing profusely. Roger beamed at Edilio, which caused a smile to tug at the corners of his dark lips. "Will- will that be all, sir?" The waiter stammered out, looking like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Edilio looked at him, smiled smuggly, and leaned forward. "No," he nodded curtly, intertwining his fingers with Roger's right in front of the waiter's face. "We could use a bit more bread." He elbowed the basket to the man and once he walked off, Edilio sat back and sighed, trying to calm down.

Roger was flushed, his thumb tracing circles into Edilio's tan skin. "I love when you take control like that. It... It's what I fell for when I met you, y'know?"

He smiled. He adored Roger in ways the artist would never understand. He had opened his eyes to accept the fact that he was still a macho Honduran, and yes, he was interested in boys. The Artful Roger had given him hope and a purpose to keep living in the FAYZ. He could never thank him enough. "Well, if I didn't take control, who would? You stammer when you talk to waiters anyway."

Roger flashed his million dollar smile. God, Edilio could stare at his face every minute of every hour of every day and he would still never get bored of looking at it. Roger was a handsome kid. Edilio had learned that he had gone to Coates, which was why he hadn't known him before the FAYZ. Most of the kids from Coates had been attractive, or so Edilio had noted. But Roger, oh man, Roger was hot. Edilio saw him as a sun child. He had that tan skin, those beautiful angel kisses spotting the bridge of his ski-slope nose. That lush blonde hair that Edilio constantly wanted to run his fingers through. He was taller than Edilio, but skinnier. He was tall and lean, that boy. His eyes had flecks of gold beneath their greens and browns. His shoulders were wiry but muscled. His hands were long, slender. Artistic hands. Edilio's mind began to drift to what Roger could do with those hands...

Not now, Edilio chided himself. Roger was saying something now, something about a video game he had recently played. "But yeah, you gotta use this gun thing to shoot portals and solve puzzles. I know it sounds stupid, but its actually really, really neat." His foot was absentmindedly pressing against Edilio's. They played a small game of footsies and idly chatted until their food came.

Edilio would never get over the contentment he know felt with Roger. They could be together. They were safe and the FAYZ had ended.

But if this was true, why did he still itch to have a rifle slung along his back? Why was he still feeling that sometimes overwhelming fear that something big was coming? That there was unfinished business in store?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

With a heavy sigh, Lana climbed out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed a banana, a glass of orange juice, and a blueberry muffin. She chewed as she paced the room. Her faithful dog, Patrick, lay at her feet, watching her go back and forth and back and forth. Her phone buzzed on the counter. She unlocked it; read the texts.

Sanjit: "Hey, good morning. How'd you sleep?"

Quinn: "Good morning beautiful(:"

Lana sighed again and looked at Patrick. He sighed in return. She nodded at him. "Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'."

The thing was, Lana still did like Sanjit. Sanjit was still the kind-hearted, dorky kid who could make her laugh whenever she needed it. But truth be told, the distance of him living in Malibu, his parents being multi-millionaires, and just the simple fact that now the FAYZ had ended, she no longer felt attached to him. She no longer felt the need to have someone in the Cliff Top with her, handing her cigarettes and helping to keep her sane. And what was more, Sanjit no longer needed her. He had his money and his fancy house with his rich parents.

Lana had a crazed mom and a careless dad. They still treated her with guarded reserve and a tight leash. They still didn't trust her and they sure as hell didn't sympathize with her. And she had a dog. She still had Patrick. She always had Patrick.

But Quinn. Ever since leaving the FAYZ, he had grown. She could see it in the way he carried himself, in the way he talked to people, and in the gleam in his eye. He was no longer the fool who bounced from side to side. He was a good guy who knew what he wanted when he wanted. So, during their months of legal fighting and hours of interviews, he had taken her to lunch a few times and when she had to return to Vegas and he to L.A. with Sam and the gang, they exchanged numbers. And they had been talking ever since. Flirting, spending countless hours deep into the night talking about their favorite foods, games, etc.; they had once spent a whole night talking on the phone that before she knew it, Lana could see the sun rising behind her curtains. Quinn had a way of making her forget. But, he also had a way of making her remember everything too.

She texted back. To Sanjit, she said: "Same old. Morning to u." To Quinn, she wrote: "Good morning, Quinn. What's up?"

And thus began her day.

Lana spent a lot of time doing nothing. Her phone buzzed. Quinn: "Nothing, just got back from surfing with Sam. Waves were a bit choppy. I was also kinda distracted so..." She replied with a question mark. Quinn knew that she was asking him to explain. Sanjit always took a lot longer to reply. He was always doing something with his siblings- going to Disney Land or working with a personal trainer or swimming in their personal cove. Rich kids.

"C'mon Patrick." She whistled for her dog to follow her and she took him outside. She let him do his business and chewed her muffin thoughtfully. Her stomach grumbled thankfully.

Lana looked good, better than any of the Perdido kids had ever seen her. She had curves- nice ones- and her hair was healthy and sleek. Currently, she had it braided and it hung well past her developed breasts. Her skin was tan and healthy. She was in shape- she ran at least three miles every two days and ate healthy. But she pigged out too, sometimes. She had personally grown addicted to Pocky and Cactus Coolers.

And she still longed for that cancer stick. She longed so bad for it that it sometimes drove her nuts.

Patrick ran around the yard a bit, smelling here, raising a leg there. And her phone went off. Quinn had explained why he was distracted. He had been thinking about her. She told him that was sweet.

Everything was so routine, so bland. She had felt so stagnant for these six months. She enjoyed no longer being capital h Healer, but she missed her friends. Yes, bad ass Healer had friends and yes, she missed them.

She was bored here and she was miserable. She hated it in Vegas. She hated it here as much as she had hated the gaiaphage. It drove her nuts. This place- the normal, everything- drove her nuts.

Which is why, when Quinn teasingly asked for the 700th time "so when are you coming to visit?" She had looked up the next flight, purchased a ticket, and lied- telling him that she wouldn't be coming for a while and that she needed time to get used to the normal.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

With the sunlight shining through the curtain, a thin beam of light crossed Dekka Talent's face and she awoke. She turned, saw the picture of Brianna beside her bed, and she felt that familiar stab of pain. Was she ever going to get used to the fact that she was gone?

She stood. Her heart ached. No, no she wouldn't. She buried her head in her hands. How had she survived through the FAYZ, almost died, and yet still be living with homophobic parents? She deserved more than this. She did, right?

She sighed. Pulled on some clothes- clean, well fitted clothes-, strung on some sneakers, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She looked into her reflection. She hadn't been able to relish in the warmth of society like Astrid and Albert had. She still felt the pain and still crawled with the creeps. She hardly ate- just enough to satisfy the hunger pains- and she hardly slept restfully through out the night. Dekka spent a lot of time running.

Of course, running was a constant reminder of what the Breeze once was. Every time the wind stirred Dekka's hair, she expected Brianna to come whizzing past her, beaming with pride, her lazy grin saying "ta-da!" once more. Oh god, Dekka thought, this isn't ever going to end.

She did as Sam taught her; she closed her eyes and envisioned the waves, crashing over the image of Brianna, of that gaping hole in her chest, and she let it get taken away with the current. Whoooosh, she imagined the sound of the waves. And the pain subsided as the memory of the Breeze was drifting farther away.

Dekka sighed once more, grabber her wallet and backpack, and headed out the door before her mom even had time to wake up. It was Sunday, and Sundays were Toto days.

She caught a bus, gave the driver her bus pass, and sat in the back, leaning her head against the window.

Dekka felt bad for the little guy. No one even remembered him anymore. He was no longer Truthful Toto; now he was just a mentally-unstable boy who never saw his friends anymore. So, Dekka began to visit him. She remembered the first time she came to visit; Toto began to cry and then laugh and then he began asking her if she had seen his Spidey. She told him no, that she hadn't. And he had begun to panic because he could not tell if she was telling the truth or not. It scared him. A nurse came to take the shaking, screaming child away.

It took Dekka a long time to visit him again. But when she did, he was a bit more receptive. They talked about food and Toto asked about Edilio and Sam. He said they were nice to him, especially Edilio. He always sent him on jobs. He asked about Caine. Dekka told him he was living in his light. Toto didn't understand, but he smiled at her and said "He always told the truth and I liked that."

And then the bus arrived at the mental clinic, and Dekka got out, and walked in through the sliding glass doors. The sterile wasteland hit her like a force and she held her breath, as she did every Sunday and Wednesday, walking to the little desk where a woman, Gladys, sat. She smiled at Dekka but it was a pitiful smile. She knew who Dekka was and she knew who she was here to see. And she knew they were both major people in the FAYZ. Did Dekka imagine the flash of fear in her eyes as she grabbed the clipboard from Gladys?

"Thanks," Dekka smiled as politely as she could and she went to the waiting room and filled out her slip to visit Toto. Age, sex, contact information. Address, previous criminal charges, anything that may trigger the patient-in this section Dekka wrote 'we were in the FAYZ together'. Health history. God, all the needed now was her blood type and her social security number.

She submitted it and then was allowed back- after emptying her pockets and backpack, which held a vile of pain pills and a thin switch blade knife, a sandwich, a pen and a pad of paper. Visitors were not allowed to bring anything that could be potentially harmful to the patients. Dekka had no clue how a sandwich could be harmful.

She walked into a small white room, and Gladys closed the door behind her. It was like a Crypt. And there Toto sat, scribbling away with toxic free crayons on a piece of styrofoam. It squeaked in protest.

"Hey Toto," Dekka said, not moving.

He nodded and mumbled to Spidey.

"I got a present for you." She said, moving forward some. She unzipped her backpack and withdrew a small plush Spider-Man. He wasn't his original but he was equally as nice and original. Toto turned his head and gasped, snatching the doll from her hands. "Spidey!" He crooned, hugging the doll to his chest. He looked at Dekka with the look of pure adoration. Dekka had never been adored. It warmed her heart. His thin chapped lips cracked into a smile and he wrapped his skinny arms around her waist. He was shaking with sobs but he was not crying. He was smiling. That's kinda creepy, Dekka thought but aloud she said "Do you like it? I saw him sitting there all alone and I figured you'd miss him."

Toto had no way of knowing that she had actually bought him at the store with intent. He didn't have that power anymore. But he believed her and he went to his white, hard bed and began to talk excitedly to Spidey II.

It was then that Dekka saw what Toto had been drawing. It was a child drawing of a girl with blood coated hair, crumpled on the stone ground, a sick, burnt green hole in the center of her chest. However, the green eyes were realistic, and blood shot, and staring right at Dekka.

She began to scream and pound her fists on the locked door, begging to be let away from this creep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The sting in her back was almost too much to handle. Her vision faded in and out, and in again. Diana Ladris looked up, helplessly, at Drake, with his shark tooth grin and his evil whip of a hand. He had it coiled around his lean torso. He no longer had the body of Alex. Here, his body was the young, hard body Diana had met him in.

His eyes, usually crystal blue with a clouded madness to them, had a slight tinge of green. He smirked at the beautiful girl at his knees. Words played on his lips, Diana could read some of them. Whore. Slut. Bitch. He laughed.

Caine, with his black hair and dark eyes, stood behind him, looking on at Drake as if he were a prized pet who was serving him well. He nodded his approval as Drake moved closer to the woman who loved him. His sly grin painted his face and he had a spark in his eyes. Diana hadn't seen that look since before the FAYZ, back when they were little kids tormenting the hallways of Coates.

"You're dead!" Diana screamed. Blood and spittle escaped from her mouth and a sob choked her throat. "I saw you die!" She didn't know if she was talking to her love or the monster. Both, maybe. Caine shook his head at her and grinned. His teeth were rotted and glowing green.

That just made the devil laugh harder. He whipped his arm. It snapped the air beside Diana's soft cheek. She screamed and flinched away.

With a low voice, Drake taunted her. "Stupid, stupid Diana. How many times does a man have to die in the FAYZ before you learn that death is but a virtue that we will never fully experience?"

A cold sweat broke over Diana's torn skin. The salty residue stung the wounds. Whip hand ran the slither of flash over the slashes, smearing the blood on her back. She screamed and tried to squirm away from him. Her back arched and she screamed aloud.

That made Caine laugh. His voice was distorted- in rang with an undertone of Gaia's demanding childish tune. "Remember when I made you make that exact motion? I remember the screams sounding a bit different though, Diana."

She spit at his feet but her sneer wouldn't reach her eyes as it used to all those years ago. Instead, tears sprang in her eyes and spilled over her cheeks. Caine kneeled beside her, running his calloused hand up her thigh, caressing her skin. "Do you remember how I made you scream?"

Diana cried. She sobbed and snot clogged her perfect nose. And Drake laughed maniacally behind his first master.

"Now," Caine whispered, his lips brushing over her ear lobe. "the both of us are going to make you scream louder than you ever did before."

Drake's whip tore Diana's shorts, exposing her-

Gasping, Diana woke up in a cold sweat. Her back stung and her arms were covered in scratches, her nails bloody and her hair tangled. She looked around her- she was still in the house, the Food Network still on the flat screen. Sighing, Diana stood up and walked herself to the bathroom.

Looking at her ghostly reflection, she told herself the mantra she had told herself for the past few months: It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Just a dream.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam sat on the phone with Albert, discussing the most recent fundraiser the community was holding. Apparently Perdido Beach had been nearly completely rebuilt but the world still believed that the FAYZ survivors still needed consolidation. And the public thought money and counseling was the right form of consolidation. "Who gets it this month?" Sam asked. Many of the families had split the fundraisers but lately, everyone had more money than they knew what to do with. When that happened, who else to call than the head of Albert Co.?

Of course, Albert had no financial leverage or power in the real world. Bertos no longer existed and he was just a normal kid, albeit with a promising future in the economic workings. "I was thinking we could split it again. Or donate it to the littles. A lot of those families have therapy bills to pay."

Sam thought. He wanted to take the money and keep it hidden under his mattress, like old Depression vics. He wanted to stock up on more Twinkies and cans of soup and toilet paper and asprin. He wanted to add another wing to his house for Quinn to move in. He wanted to save money for...for something he hadn't even talked to Astrid about yet. "Let's split it. I understand a lot of the Perdido kids were traumatized, but not as much as we were. They didn't dive into line of fire. They just stood just out of reach. Sure, it sucks for them, but c'mon, brah. I think a few of us deserve a bit more."

Albert laughed at him. That really grind Sam's gears. The cod fish himself laughed at Sam? No. "Well Sam," Albert sighed. "Look whose gotten self righteous after all this time."

Sam clenched his teeth as Albert went on. "You're feel it too, don't you? That ominous storm that's brewing? You wanna be in control again. You said you didn't like being a leader, but we both know that's a load of crap. Admit it." He went silent for a moment. "You still there?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Sam Temple, we'll split it, half for us all, half for the littles' families." He chuckled. "Good luck with those hero complexes, BRAH."

And with that lingering smirk- Sam could hear it in his cocky, pubescent voice- the line clicked off.

A knock on the office door made Sam jump, he dropped his phone; Astrid stood in the door way, in a thin white bed slip, her hair tangled and a mess around her face. Her legs were bare and taunting. Sam forgot about his conversation with Albert almost instantly. "Hey sleeping beauty." He said, a smile quirking his lips.

"Oh hush." She sneered, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She walked over and sat on Sam's lap. That drove his thoughts wild. He didn't think his body would ever get used to the electricity that coursed through it every time Astrid's thighs and hands touched him. "Who was that?" She asked. Her voice still sounded tired. He loved when she looked and sounded like this. This was Astrid: Uncharted. This was Astrid, who very few people got to see. She had her guard down. She wasn't Astrid the Genius, or Astrid the Sister. She was Astrid, the Sam's girl friend. Astrid the Normal.

"Hm?" Sam let his hand wander over Astrid's shoulder, pushing down the strap.

She held his face, forcing him to look at her. The tiredness was off her face now, replaced by the ever-demanding, smart Astrid. "The phone. I swear sometimes it's like all you can do is think with your di-"

"Hey woah," Sam laughed. "That body part has feelings you know."

"Over-sensitive ones, I'd say."

"I know you're not talking."

Astrid hit him. He laughed- he deserved that. His girlfriend still glared daggers at him. "I'll only tell you if you do that thing you know I like."

"Oh, you mean me using my advanced vernacular to get you excited? Like when I talk about the reactions in your body are purely behavioral and can be explained through psychodynamic psychology? How your unconscious drives and conflicts influence the way your brain and its receptors work, even if they're not even cognitive?"

He laughed, faked a shudder, and kissed Astrid. "Yes, exactly that." When she didn't respond, he sighed, and sat back, her weight still on his lap. "It was Albert. We were talking about the fundraiser and what to do with the money."

"Shouldn't we let, ya know, the government take care of that?"

Sam shrugged. He didn't wanna argue with her about this. Astrid always sided in saving the money and maybe going to college or giving it all to the kids who DIDN'T risk their life in fighting Gaia.

"What did you decide on?" She asked. Her face was guarded, as if she was ready for a fight.

"We're splitting it. Fifty goes to us, the fighters, and the rest goes to the littles' families." As soon as Sam said it, he saw the look of anger flash over her face.

"We all fought, Sam. Just because you and your hot shot Moofs did the hard, physical fighting doesn't mean us normals were any less great than you." She shoved off of him. Did she REALLY just call him a Moof?! She shook her head at him. "We were all fighters. Even people like Sinder and Justin and...and Howard. Even Zil. We all fought."

And with that, Astrid left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sam stood up, slammed his fist into the wall, where the paint chipped and stormed after her. He left the room too fast to see the green burn left on the wall.


	8. Chapter 8

Perdido Beach had been restored and improved. Connie Temple sat in a café, sipping a coffee and typing away on her laptop. She had picked up writing again, after everything, and found that she had more things than ever to say.

_Journal Entry Five:_

_I hate to say it, but I think that things are getting bad again. I've been feeling that lurking, dark presence again. S told me, and the whole world, all there is to know about the FAYZ (everyone has begun calling it that because the kids always addressed it as so), but I still don't think that was the end of it. I don't think it's as simple as one battle to the death between a child and an autistic boy possessing D._

_I think about D sometimes. Seeing him standing beside his brother, his hands outward and a smile on his face, it made me realize the mistake I had made giving him up._

_I wonder if things would have gone different if I hadn't of given him up. I wonder if this presence would still be here if I hadn't. I wonder if his death was all my fault._

_I've been having dreams of him lately. And S too. S always looks scornful and older. I can't believe how much he has grown. But D looks the same as he did in Coates Academy: snarky, sneery, and strong. In the dreams, his eyes glow green like radiation and his hands move rocks the size of tractors, bending them as if they're play-doh. He mends the boulders into the shape of men. Strong men with hands of stone. And he laughs, maniacally, as those men march onward, towards Perdido Beach, towards the city, and towards his brother._

_The world is ending in these dreams and I have this leering feeling that maybe it will be ending in real-_

The earth shook and Connie snatched up her laptop and rushed out of the coffee shop. Car alarms blared and people were screaming and children were crying. A loud rumble shook the air as the ground settled. Connie sighed. Ironic how she was typing that the world might be ending when an earthquake hit. But this was California, she was used to this sort of irony. She was also prepared when the aftershock hit. However, the mother was not prepared when a crack so deep you could swear you could see the depths of Tartarus split the earth in front of her feet, turning cars over the curb and destroying the freshly paved road.


	9. Chapter 9

Lana had never liked flying but she liked it a whole lot more than she did riding the bus. With the money from the government, she had been able to buy a personal flight and was able to convince the company to allow Patrick on the plane. If she didn't like flying, he despised it. The golden dog paced the aisle and panted and his fur coat shed all over the first class fabric. "C'mere, boy." Lana cooed to her pet, stroking behind his ears and trying to calm him down.

The thing about Lana was, she thought, looking around the empty cabin, was that she till liked being alone. She liked not having anyone else on the plane with her and she liked having no one to support or help or heal or even see. She recalled her first few days in Hermit Joe's Shack and how she didn't mind the solitude. Sure, the coyotes had spooked her a bit, but she was not lonely and she did not miss anyone. And yet, here she was, going back to California, because she missed her friends.

Yes. Friends.

She had never considered Dekka or Edilio or Sam or Astrid her friends but as time grew between them, she missed their voices and their faces. She wanted to laugh at Quinn's dumb jokes and then scold Astrid for being a smart bitch and maybe even smirk with Dekka when Sam or Edilio said something amusing.

She sighed and looked out her window. She was nearing the airport in LA, but she had to fly over Perdido Beach first. She expected there to be some sort of dome still over it, like she would see it in person, on the opposite side of what she was used to. But instead, all she saw was the old landscape, the newly restored power plant, and up near the ridge was her home during the FAYZ, the Clifftop Hotel.

From this distance, the ground looked small and very green. Lana had never seen it from a bird's eye view, but she imagined that the FAYZ didn't look like this when the kids were stuck in there. It probably looked dead.

Thunder rolled in the distance and she looked upward. There were no clouds to be seen, except for thin whispy ones here and there. Patrick had gone very still, his head laid on Lana's lap and his ears folded back. He whimpered softly.

CRACK! Lana watched as the world split in two. A crevice destroyed the earth, water erupted in the middle of the ocean, a cacophony of sound rung so loud Lana could hear it in the sky.

And she watched. Lana Arwen Lazar watched as a twenty mile-wide gorge cracked around Perdido beach, the power plant in the dead center of the circle.


	10. Chapter 10

By the time Sam had calmed down, Astrid was already on the treadmill, sweating away stress. He could her the soft thump, thump, thump, of her feet hitting the conveyor belt, one step at a time. He walked into their small exercise room and leaned against the door frame, waiting for her to reach a slower pace before speaking.

Her hair was falling out of its pony tail, her cheeks were flushed, and her blue eyes were focused on the tv screen that was mounted on the wall. The news was on and they seemed to be talking about some sort of drug cartel who had been arrested the night before. Normal LA news. Sam watched the beads of sweat roll down her throat, soaking her shirt to her back. She had always told him that she looked gross when she worked out, but he had always thought that she looked alive and hot. She'd tsk'd him.

When she didn't slow, Sam didn't speak. So Astrid did, panting in between words. "What...do you...want?" Her eyes never left the tv screen.

"Well, to apologize. And stuff."

"And stuff."

"Yeah," Sam started. "And stuff. What I said was rude, but I'm not really the only one at fault here. A moof? Honestly, Astrid? After Hunter and Pete and Duck and the whole hate group? That word is more than insulting, don't you think?"

Astrid sighed heavily, slowing down her pace to a mild jog. "Fine. I apologize for calling you a moof but I won't take back what I said. I think you're being a bit inconsiderate to the...lesser known members of the FAYZ. There were more than just you and Dekka and the Breeze."

As always, Sam's heart lurched at the mention of Brianna. It had been his light that had killed her and ion turn, it had been his light that had destroyed Dekka's heart. His best friend, other than Quinn, was hurting every day of her life, and it was his fault. He still wished he had the Breeze here to crack a joke and show off one more time. He'd give anything to have her back.

Astrid must have seen the hurt on his face because she stopped running. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."

Sam waved her off. "Look all I'm saying is I'm sorry for feeling a bit more deserving than everyone else. But I have reason. I'm trying to support you and make sure we're prepared for some crappo freak accident to happen again."

"The FAYZ was a flux. It'll never happen again."

"You don't know that, Astrid!" Sam hated the way his voice broke. He sounded weak. He sounded scared. With a shaking hand, he brushed his hair back. "Listen. I just have this...feeling... that it's not over. it's not. I know dreams are normal, but I swear to God, Astrid, I had a dream the other day that we were back in the FAYZ. Perdido Beach had a border that went into the ground and we were in the center. All of us. Even Drake."

Astrid visibly shuddered at the psycho's name. "Sam... they're just dreams haunting you. It's no-"

"Normal?" Sam scoffed, but his hands still shook. He looked up at the TV. The news had a sky view of a coastline, the ground split like someone had taken a knife and sliced the earth. "Yeah, as normal as an earthquake in California, I suppose."

Astrid looked up, studying the TV. "Sam. That's Perdido Beach."


	11. Chapter 11

After his date, Edilio took Roger home and then returned to his own. He was the only one still living on the beach. He was the only one who had experienced the earth quake.

He had watched in a guarded silence as the crack split between his legs, tearing the ground open. He didn't panic like everyone else on the beach was. He knew something like this was going to happen. He expected it. It was only a matter of time. He had a dream about it.

Roger Sam Dekka Astrid Quinn. His friends. He looked for them instinctively.

They were out of Perdido Beach, he thought with a sigh. They wouldn't be here for this. That made him both happy and sad. They'd be safe, but he would be alone.

He'd have to survive this alone so he could find them once it was over.

Edilio sat down on the sand, his switch blade in his hand, fingering the blade.

And when a girl made of gold came to him and touched her fingers to his temples, he was ready for the unbearable tiredness that filled his bones. He was ready for the blackening view of the world. He was ready for the heavy darkness he felt in his heart.

His head hit the sand and Edilio slept.

When he came to, the newly rebuilt Perdido Beach was the wasteland that Edilio had spent nearly a year in. The grass was dead and the sky was clear and seemed to reflect the ocean. No clouds were in sight. No breeze blew through the palm tree tops. The waves in front of him no longer crashed or receded; the water sat and rippled weakly.

The brightness of the sun blinded him and for a moment he couldn't see anything. He rubbed his eyes, sighed, and stood up. If he was back here, there had to be a reason why and he couldn't be the only one. So he walked to town, fingering the blade of his knife in his pocket.


	12. Chapter 12

When Quinn had gotten the text to meet Lana at the air port, his heart soared. And so, naturally, he showed up about three hours early and paced the huge building about seventeen times. Maybe twenty. But who was counting.

His mom had told him to bring a flower so he had bought one, but now he felt stupid in his polo, sun burned face, and a dumb rose in his hand- which, for the record, had pricked his thumb a few times till it was sore and tender. He had worried that her flight would get delayed, and then worried more that the flight would never land.

And then breaking news rang over the TV's: PERDIDO BEACH IN TERROR AGAIN? PB WILL NEVER SEE THE END OF THE FAYZ. EVACUATION OF FALLOUT ALLEY.

And his heart plummeted. Was the wall back up? Had Gaia some how come back? What would he do?

He couldn't do anything. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he was not in Perdido Beach. He was in Los Angeles, the city of Angels, waiting for Lana to land.

Angels, he prayed, help us.

His phone in his pocket rang. Mechanically, he answered it. "Yeah?"

"Quinn."

"Sam."

He heard his friend sigh into the receiver. His eyes were still trained on the television above his head, which showed a geyser in the pacific a few miles off the shore of the beach. "T'sup?"

"Are you okay?" Sam asked. He could faintly hear Astrid talking in a low voice, probably trying to look at this mathematically with polynomials or something.

"Yeah, brah. I'm at the airport."

"Um. Why?" That seemed to take him off guard and his School Bus/FAYZ Sammy voice faded for a moment.

"Picking up Lana. She's visiting apparently."

Sam was silent for a minute, a long minute, and then relayed the message to Astrid. She took the phone and was now speaking into Quinn's ear. "When was the decided?"

"Umm, I dunno. About four hours ago. She shot me a text when she was boarding her plane."

"Have you talked to anyone else?" He knew that by her vague 'anyone', she meant their group. No, he answered. No he had not. They very rarely talked to him. Fed them for eight months and no one can say a small "hey! thanks! T'sup, man?"

Astrid's voice lowered like she was only half speaking to him and half to herself. "We're gonna figure this out. I need to call everyone else and see if they're all right."

"Yeah, definitely." Quinn said. Just then, Lana's flight flashed, claiming that the plane had landed. "Lana's here. I'll call you back."

And with that, he hung up.


	13. Chapter 13

Sam called Dekka. Dekka called Albert. Albert called everyone else. He had all files on his laptop, including phone numbers and addresses.

It was only when Sam called Edilio that the panic ensued. His phone rang and rang and rang. Sure, it was a pay as you go phone, but Edilio always had minutes on it. He very rarely used his minutes unless it was for emergencies or to talk to Roger or his mom.

He dialed again. Endless ringing, no voicemail box set up.

Again. No answer.

Sam cast a panicked look at Astrid. She was watching the news anxiously, waiting for more information about the earthquake.

Maybe they were over reacting. Maybe Edilio was busy with something. Maybe it was just a simple earth quake that happened to have a complete circumference of the FAYZ.

Maybe, but unlikely.

"Can't reach him. He still lives in Perdido. Can't be a coincidence." Sam's voice was level. He was shocked at how calm it sounded. His insides were anything but calm.

Astrid nodded. Sam could see her mind working a mile a minute. "What are you planning?"

Diana stood in the doorway, watching them, watching Astrid pace. "We can't do anything. Why plan anything? Let the professionals take care of it this time. They're evacuating the place anyways. Edilio is probably just lying low while all the Fuzz enforces their authority over the lesser people and push 'em around with their batons." She rolled her eyes.

She had a point. Sam still looked to Astrid.

"There's a reason this is happening. On the day Lana comes to town? It can't be a coincidence. There's more going on here. That crack is the exact path of the barrier. There's something going on.

"We need to check it out. How long do you think it'll take to pack and get everyone to meet up?"


	14. Chapter 14

Dekka left the clinic. Dekka missed the bus. Dekka talked to Sam.

Too much weird for one day. Too much.

Her hands shook and she looked down at them. They were the same hands that she had lifted the earth with. They were the hands that canceled gravity, above all odds.

She pointed them at a bush beside her. C'mon, she thought, rise, you stupid hedge!

But the hedge stayed rooted in the ground and the wind stirred the leaves.

She shook her head and tried to blink back her tears. Her stomach crawled like she still had bugs inside of her. Her skin was cold like she had been doused in ice.

The green eyes of Toto's drawing still haunted her eyelids.

She caught the next bus and rode it home. Sam had texted her and demanded that she pack what she needed and come as soon as possible to his house. It wasn't that far away. She could run the distance.

So she would. She strapped on her running shoes, filled two back packs full of supplies and food, and she began to run.

No music. She ran to the sound of her feet hitting the pavement, the song of her rapid breath intakes, the melody of the wind in her ears.

This was what she had left of Brianna.

Maybe that's why she didn't question Sam and she didn't even worry what they were doing. She had gone willingly. She needed a distraction.

Or maybe she needed a way to remember.

Either way, she was going back and she knew that much. She had been anticipating it. It couldn't have been long until they were haunted by more than just nightmares.

The FAYZ was alive. Caine's valiant effort had been in vain. He had not saved them. Pete had not destroyed the gaiaphage. They would never be free.

She ran harder, pumping her arms and gaining speed. A car honked at her. She flipped them off.

Her heart pounded, sweat beaded out of her pores. California heat weighed down on her and the packs on her shoulders grew heavier with every step she took.

The act of running cleared her mind. She was able to wonder how Toto had drawn the scene that taunted her nightmares. He hadn't been there. In fact, it had been assumed that he had been killed at the lake, like Justin. But, supposedly, like Roger, he had survived.

How had he known? He had been somewhere else completely. Even in the FAYZ, someone couldn't be in two places at once. Not even Gaia had been able to do that.

Dekka rounded the bend that would take her to Sam's street. About forty five minutes had passed and her nylon shirt was clinging to her back and sweat ran down her face and knees. The salt stung her eyes and the stagnant heat of California warmed her shoulders. She pressed harder.

If they were about to go into battle again, she was prepared this time. She would end it once and for all and never let someone she cared about die ever again.


	15. Chapter 15

By the time everyone had showed up at the house, tensions were high and supplies were packed.

Astrid read off the list once more. Walkie-Talkies? Check. Flash lights? Check. Back up batteries? Check. Water bottles with filters? Check. Paper? Check. Soap? Check. Toilet paper? Double check. Food? Plenty and then some.

She paced in front of the living room door way. Dekka and Sam sat close together, talking about something that made the girl tremble. Sam looked serious. Diana sat glumly on the couch, holding a piece of crumpled up paper in her fist. Her gaze held the wall and looked as if she could peel the paint.

And Albert, stuck up, confident Albert, leaned against the wall, clicking away on a hand held device. He wore a business suit, the bastard. It irked Astrid. She shook off her irritation and shot Quinn and text. Him and Lana were the only ones missing.

Well, those two and Edilio. They had found Roger and begged his mother to let him "hang out with them for old times sake" and after a bit of hesitation, she relented.

Edilio would flip if he had known that they were bringing his unstable boyfriend straight to the scene of their own demise.

"Okay," Astrid began.

"Okay, what?" Diana asked. She pushed her bangs back.

Sam patted Dekka's knee and looked towards Astrid, giving her his attention. Albert sighed and put down his tool. "Once Quinn and Lana get here, we're leaving. Quinn is driving. Now, Perdido is on lock down which means security is going to be tight. We're gonna go through phases to get inside. And once we do, we'll meet at the town center."

"The graveyard? We're going to start this investigation at the GRAVEYARD?" That was Roger. He shook his head no. "I don't like that plan." His gaze flickered and Astrid had seen that blank look before. She used to see it on her little brother every waking minute of his life.

Diana laughed sardonically. "We're going in phases into the FAYZ. I'm sorry, but that seems a bit funny to me. Why are we CHOOSING to return to that hell?"

"Because," Sam said, standing up and walking to Astrid's side. "The professionals think this is just an earth quake. They aren't going to know what to look for. We will."

"And what, School Bus Sammy, is it that we're looking for?" Albert looked at him quizzically, like he was an especially challenging and amusing Sudoku puzzle.

"Remains of the gaiaphage. Pete obviously didn't destroy all of it."

"And," Astrid interjected. "There's been...suggestions that it may be returning."

"What suggestions?" Dekka asked, her voice hard.

Astrid sighed. This was going to sound stupid coming from her. "Green."

Everyone sat there for a long moment, trying hard to understand what the 'genius' was saying.

When no one asked for her to explain, she walked to hers and Sam's bedroom. She had noticed the festering green spot growing on the wall when she had began packing. The group followed her, as she expected them to.

Sam inhaled sharply. "Is that from..."

Astrid nodded and explained to the group that Sam had punched the wall and had singed the paint, leaving the faint green glow of a Sammy sun.

She saw Dekka pale, which was considerable, given her complexion. Albert studied it articulately. Diana looked guarded and hard. Roger looked confused and uninterested.

The bell rang. "I got it." Sam said, leaving the room.

After a minute, Quinn and Lana entered, greeting each other. There was a tense hello between Lana and the three girls. None of them seemed to get along well. A slobbery dog trotted in after her, nuzzling against Roger's leg. Roger smiled and pet the dog, talking to him more enthusiastically than he had to any of the people before him.

"You brought your mutt." Diana said.

"Um, yeah. Is that a problem?" Lana asked but the question was rhetorical. She didn't care if it was a problem or not.

Quinn cleared his throat. "Alright. Weird glowy stuff on the wall, all of us together, weirdo FAYZ border reemerges. What's the plan?"

Astrid relayed the plan once more, with a few changes.


	16. Chapter 16

They had another thing coming if they thought that Lana had flown over 100 miles just to go back to the FAYZ. No, she wanted to go to the beach and maybe go bowling with Quinn or something.

And she was beginning to remember why she hated Astrid. The genius was more toned then ever. Lana had never seen such a pretty girl in real life before. Astrid looked like something on a Sports Authority billboard: blonde hair pulled tight with an elastic, contacts now in replasing her glasses, a fit, toned, hard body that gleamed with a slight tan. Crystal blue eyes that knew that she was smarter than you. But she also looked tired. Her cheek bones were high. She had small breasts, Lana thought with a bit of satisfaction. Lana herself had just bought her first C cup bra. Woo!

And Diana. She was still snarky. But Lana could remember how she was before. She could recall the rude glare that pasted her face before she had given birth to the she-devil.

And again, Lana wished that she could have been the one to destroy that small child where she stood. But no, Caine had sacrificed himself to Petey, and it was for nothing. Diana looked like a wreck. Lana shook her head.

They were still so young. Why were they going back into danger? Why was she here?

They all rechecked their supplies. Lana put a long knife in her knapsack and she grabbed a few extra bullets. Roger had Edilio's old gun. The pistol had been empty of shells for months and it seemed to click in relief as Lana put the clip in.

Then they left. It must have looked strange, seven youths and a dog walking with bags packed over their shoulders, their pockets bulging, and their whole demeanor tense and prepared. Quinn helped Lana into his mom's van. She checked her phone. Sanjit had texted her twice, asking her why she hadn't picked up when he had called. She had been on the plane. She replied that she was busy and that she would talk to him soon. Patrick hopped up beside her and laid his head on her knee. She scratched behind his ear.

"I still don't understand why we have to bring your mutt." Diana sighed heavily from the backseat.

"Now listen here, Queen Bee, I don't give a shit what you do or don't understand. This dog saved my life countless times in that hell-hole and I don't plan to ever be without him, especially not in Perdido. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have become your precious Healer and Caine would have died long before he did. So hop off."

Lana knew she had struck a nerve but she didn't care. Diana really needed to grow up. No one needed nor appreciated her sass. God.  
She stroked Patrick's soft head and whispered quietly to him, feeding him a small treat she had tucked in the pocket of her backpack.

"Hey," Albert said. He had been strangely quiet since she had arrived. "We don't need this. You two need to calm down. We're in this together." Lana thought it was nice to see the Dictator had returned. It was almost as nice and burning babies or rotten eggs.

"He's right," Sam spoke up from the front seat. Astrid was on his lap. Lana thought that was kinda a major safety issue. But who cared about safety? They were on the highway to hell, literally. "We need to be a team or else we're gonna screw up and create another war. We don't need a feud within this. We need to go find Edilio and we can only do that if we can all suck up our egos, stick to the plan, and cooperate. Got it?"

There was a unanimous grumble throughout the van. Even Patrick moaned. He knew something was up. Lana tried her best to calm him down.

Roger was jumping about something in the backseat, and Astrid was talking to him softly. Lana figured she had a lot of experience with weirdo kids with disabilities. She supposed that Roger was their new Petey. Edilio was gonna be so pissed that they brought him. Lana could already see his face. Mexican, heated, and scornful.

Why was she here?! Lana kept asking herself and couldn't find a reason. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to fight the darkness again. She didn't think she could do it. She'd crumble or die this time. she was sure of it.

Then why was she here?

Quinn glanced back at Lana through the rearview mirror. She noticed he had a small beaded bracelet with a dream catcher on it. she had made it for him a few months back and mailed it to him. He smiled sheepishly.

Oh, she thought as her heart quickened and her face flamed, that was why.


	17. Chapter 17

By the time they had reached the boarder of Perdido Beach, Sam's adrenaline had calmed down. He peeked back at Dekka. She looked far, far away. He wondered how she was doing. He wanted to talk to her.

Astrid felt so good on his lap and he smoothed his hands down her thighs. He really didn't want to go back; he didn't want to give this up.

But he had to. He knew there was something coming, but he didn't want to face it. He lay his cheek on Astrid's shoulder, inhaling her scent of soap and girl and violets.

Quinn had parked behind a new Walmart just outside of the line of officers and authority. He sighed and turned to look at his friends. "So we got the plan right? Me and Astrid first, Dekka and Roger second, Diana and Albert, and then Quinn and Lana. And wait ten minutes before each one. We can't risk getting caught. You guys remember the signal, right?"

"Sam, they're flairs. Not a bird call. Yes, we know the signal." That was Albert. Geez, Sam thought, he was just trying to make sure. What a prick.

There was a collective nod throughout the van. Sam took a deep breath and looked at Astrid, wrapping his hand around hers. The sun was just beginning to lower into the horizon.

She stared back at him with her cool, calm eyes. There was a settling storm inside them. "You ready?" He felt himself nod, even though he was anything but. "Let's go."


End file.
